Five years in the making
by Naidoo
Summary: After Morgan finds himself single again he decides it is time for a back-up plan, that will make sure he doesn't end up all on his own in five years from now. Who better to ask than his Baby Girl?
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is one of these stories that started a life of its own. Was intended to be three chapters, then 7 on paper and finally written in 9 chapters. This chapter is the sort of flashback. That explains the background this story will be based on. Chapters again will be loosely tied together and not necessarily each chapter represenets one year. Enjoy..._

_

* * *

  
_

_Five years ago ….._

_Garcia heard a sigh coming from Morgan, who sat across from her __and had been staring__ at the bottle of __beer for a__ good twenty minutes now. _

"_You alright?" she __asked, even though she could tell there__ was a problem. __He hadn't said a__ word for the last half hour, just every now and __then a 'hmm'__ when she told him about her latest issue with Foster, her __boyfriend of four__ months. _

_Yes, Morgan__ seemed like miles away tonight, not his usual witty self. No smart comebacks, like he __usually made when__ she started talking __about Foster. _

"_What makes you think otherwise?" he asked._

"_Because the __closest thing to__ an acknowledgement of you being part of this conversation was 'Hmm' for the past hour or so. I was actually about to ask for a vowel. Oh, and the fact that when I told you that I am thinking of calling it quits with my boyfriend didn't even get the slightest reaction at all. Neither good, nor bad. Here I was getting ready for your sudden expression of joy and happiness… and nada, zip," Garcia pouted._

"_Why would I be happy when you want to split from your boyfriend?" Derek asked innocently._

"_Because secretly you want me all for yourself," she smiled at him sweetly, before __continuing. "Or__ because there wasn't one conversation over the past four months where you didn't __say at least something mean__ about him. Of __course, not straight__ and direct, but in that __hidden 'Derek__ Morgan' way."_

"_I would never say anything bad about whoever you choose to date," he defended himself._

"_Sure," she answered, making sure he knew that she didn't __believe one__ word._

"_Whatever," __he said, smiling. She just__ rolled her eyes._

"_So what's wrong with you now, Hot Stuff?" she asked again, but moments of silence __passed. "Derek?__" she pushed, using his first name, which she knew he hated._

"_It's Chloe …" he offered._

"_What about your Miss World?"_

"_Why do you always call her that?" Morgan asked, looking at her with arched brows._

"_Because she just looks like one of them. Surgically __enhanced, of__ course, but that is not for me to judge."_

"_She ended it. Just like that," he said, choosing to ignore her last comment._

"_Sucks," she replied, not even trying too hard to sound sorry. Of course she was __sorry, if only for__ the look on her best friend's face right __now... like__ someone just hurt him badly, which was quite strange, given that __they had only been dating__ two or three months – __give or take__. _

_Penelope Garcia had seen plenty of women move in and out of Derek's life – __usually gone within__ the very night, or a week __later. There__ were a few that managed to stick around for a few months, but usually Morgan never looked like someone kicked his puppy after either of them had ended it. _

"_She dumped you – which sucks and moved her __onto__ my 'most stupid people in the world' __list, right__ up to the top stop. But … I mean … it isn't like it hasn't happened before. Why so ... gloomy?"_

"_I'm __thirty-five__ now, Baby Girl. And I am not getting any younger…" he said, which did cause Penelope to just look at him quizzically and confused. _

"_Yeah, so am I. You worried to step outside this bar and drop dead? I'm not Reid __or anything__, but I would say that the chances for that are pretty minimal. Maybe ten years from now __it will look different__, but that is still far enough in the future…"_

"_I'm not scared of dying. Well, not any more than everybody else __is, anyway__. I found my yearbook a couple of nights __ago. Going__ through __it, I found out__ that most of the guys I went to school with are married now."_

"_So they have settled down and you are still… running riot. I bet half of them are already divorced, while half of the rest __have__ already at least consulted a divorce lawyer…" Penelope grinned at Morgan in an attempt to make him smile and feel better. Which worked. _

"_I guess I am just __afraid of ending up alone__ at some point," he confessed._

"_Oh, you will never be alone, my dear. After __all, you__ will always have me. And when you are sixty and still running after the bad guys – maybe slower than usual – I will still be there, over the phone, adoring the ground you walk on. I __bet at sixty, you'll__ still be looking so hot that neither of these pretty FBI agents stands a chance against you. Girls will still be __flocking to you, and__ on your gravestone will be something like 'The world's most favorite heartbreaker'. I can see it right in front of me," Penelope laughed, waiting for her drinking partner's response. _

_When none __came, she__ looked up, right into Derek Morgan's __face. He seemed__ to be lost in __thought, judging__ by the intense expression on his face._

"_What?" she asked._

"_I have an idea. A backup plan."_

"_A backup plan? For what? You do realize what I just said was me basically making fun of you. I seriously hope __that at sixty, you__ will have decided that a __desk job__ is much better."_

"_Let's make a deal," he said, confusing her more._

"_About what? Who pays the next round of drinks?"_

"_If, five__ years from __now, you__ are not with someone, not engaged, in a relationship, married, __God__ knows what, and I am the same… you and I marry."_

_Garcia, __who had just taken a__ sip of her __beer, came close__ to __spitting__ the beer over half the __table. "Excuse__ me?"_

"_In five __years, if neither__ of us is attached… let's get married."_

_Instead of saying __anything, Garcia__ just looked at Morgan for a moment, not sure what to say, or think for that matter of fact._

"_Are you serious? Or is that just an early midlife crisis?" she joked._

"_No, I am serious. In five __years, if neither of us is__ attached to __anyone, we__ get married. What's there to lose?"_

"_Apart from my sanity?" __She smiled, getting one from Morgan in return__. But she didn't miss that spark in his eyes that somehow told her he really was serious __about the idea__. And he was right. What _was_ there to lose?_

"_Okay, let's agree on that. __Five__ years from __now. If neither__ of us is married, you and I get hitched," Penelope finally __agreed cheerfully__. _

'_Maybe we should keep him away from the alcohol the next time', she thought to herself, but then remembered that Derek was only on his second bottle for the night. On their usual nights __out, he__ drank way more than that without any sort of sign of being anywhere close to drunk, __or even tipsy__. _

"_And just in case we forget…" he started, with a napkin in his right hand and a pen in his __left, "we__ write it down on paper, or this napkin," he said, waving the napkin in front of her __face, just__ in case she didn't notice._

"_And what exactly do you want to write down on this thing? I, Derek Morgan, promise to marry Penelope Garcia in five years time, if neither us is in a relationship?" she asked, still not sure if Morgan was serious or just dealing with the 'break-__up,'__ Derek Morgan style._

_From previous __experiences, she__ knew that Morgan tended to overdramatize things a bit after a break-up. __Strangely, only__ after he was dumped, never when he was the one who ended things. Maybe this was just his __way of dealing with__ rejection, although in Garcia's __opinion, the__ woman who dumps a god like Derek __Morgan must__ be either dumb as a breadstick or blind. Or maybe both. _

"_Okay, so that's done. Now we just need to sign," she heard him say, and when __she looked back__ at __him, saw__ him handing her the pen. _

"_Sign? Cupcake, these are no pre-nups. Aren't you taking this kind of too __seriously__?"_

"_Why?"_

"_Because… well… let's see. In five years, __you will probably be married__ to Miss Universe and have four little __Dereks__ running around, while I cry after another dumbass __of an ex__-boyfriend," she __advised, taking a__ short break and thinking __hard. "Yeah,__ that sounds about right," she finally agreed with __herself. But seeing Derek still__ handing her the __pen, she__ sighed, taking it and putting her initials under whatever Morgan had scribbled on the white-ish napkin. _

_Morgan did the same, __then__ folded the napkin and put it in the back of his jeans. _

"_Are you feeling better now_?_ Now that you know there is someone for you to marry in five years if all goes terribly wrong?"_

_Morgan just nodded, but it didn't escape her attention that he just seemed a lot more at ease now, more relaxed and definitely more focused on their conversation._

_It was about half an hour later when they decided to call it a night and head home._

_When__ Garcia stepped out of the __bar, she__ already had half forgotten about their pact._


	2. The Boyfriend

_A/N: I think this is the shortest chapter I have ever written. For a second I was actually considering to merge the next chapter with this one, just to make it longer. =) But I didn't. I know that most of this chapter is the transcript from 'Lucky' - although some alternations have been made. I should maybe also mention that Battle doesn't exist for this one. Many thanks to my beta jenRar, who I forgot to mention in the last chapter's A/N's. The site seems to be cranky again, since I am not receiving emails with notifications for the reviews and therefore the links to reply to them. As soon as they make their way to my inbox I will answer.  
_

* * *

It was a few weeks after that night in the bar.

Neither of them had mentioned it again, and Penelope actually already had forgotten about it. Derek had taken the napkin that night out of his jeans pocket and put it in a box, where he also kept the wedding ring from his grandmother; the one he was supposed to propose with once he found **the one**. He closed the box and put it back on the top of the shelf, where the box had been standing for the past couple of years without being touched at all.

"Good morning, Princess."

"Good morning."

"Pump … your breaks," she heard him say suddenly, which made her stop and turn around.

When she saw Morgan motioning for her to come back to him, she thought for a moment about what to do, but in the end stepped closer to him.

"Every day I say 'Good Morning'. Every day you say 'I'll show you a good morning, hot stuff'. Every day. Not today?" he asked, sounding a bit concerned.

"I hate profilers, you know that?" she smiled slightly, removing some dust flake from his shirt.

Morgan looked at where she had just touched him, and then back at her. Something was definitely going on.

"Spit it out…"

Penelope thought how much she should tell him. Morgan had a tendency of reacting sometimes like the big brother. All protective.

"Fine. I met a guy…" she confessed, finally. Lying to Derek Morgan was something that never worked anyway. He just knew her too damn well.

"You did what? Where?" he asked, sounding surprised.

"Coffee shop, downstairs. I helped him with a problem, and then he asked for my number…"

"And you just…?" he asked, looking shocked.

"…gave it to him. Can you believe that?" she asked, now her turn for sounding surprised. "But before you go all worrying on me, he is working for the FBI as well. Over at Fraud. He is an analyst, too. And cute," she explained, and Morgan could clearly see the excitement all over her face and in her eyes.

"Good. What's his name?"

"Kevin Lynch. Did I mention he worked in Fraud? And he looks so good and cute."

Morgan just smiled at her and touched the tip of her nose with his index finger.

"You kind of mentioned that already," he said, getting over the initial shook.

"When he calls, don't agree right away to wherever he asks you to go. Play a bit hard to get. Guys like it when something seems to be a challenge."

"Morgan, I know how to play the game. It's not like I've never been on a date," she said, rolling her eyes at him.

"I just want the best for you, Baby Girl, you know, right?"

"Of course I do," she smiled, continuing her way towards her office, waiting for the call of one Kevin Lynch.


	3. The Girlfriend

_A/N: Thank you, all you amazing people with reviews, alers and such. You make my day with that. Seriously. There were some rather 'interesting comments. To clear that up, just because I used the scene that Battle has on the show for Lynch does not mean he will suffer Battle's fate. I can't kill characters - fictional or non-fictional. Neither am I good at violence- unless it's emotional. And it might not look like it right now, but there will be a happy ending. I promise. It just takes a little bit longer.  
_

* * *

He had seen her before. He knew he had. He just couldn't put a name to the face.

Morgan was in their usual bar, waiting for Garcia to show up. It was Friday, and given that they hadn't met last week, or the one before that, she promised him she would definitely be here this time. At seven. Looking at his watch, it read seven thirty pm. Someone was definitely late.

He was arguing with himself about whether or not he should just call and check up on her, to make sure she was alright. But then he remembered the last time he did that when they wanted to meet and she 'forgot'. He had called her cell and Kevin Lynch answered – Garcia's boyfriend of over ten months now.

"Um, hi … this is Derek Morgan. I was supposed to meet Garcia, I mean Penelope, at Murphy's about half an hour ago. Just wanted to make sure she is alright since she isn't … um … here," he said, somehow not sure how to talk to Kevin. Fact was, he was happy for his Baby Girl, that she got a guy and all that. And Lynch didn't seem bad; there was just something that didn't strike Morgan as right. He just seemed too geeky and all nerd. Penelope was a little nerd herself, but less obvious. She was sexy, suave, and all flirty and hot; none of what could be used to describe Kevin Lynch. They were a bit of an odd fit.

Lynch rarely talked to anyone in the BAU, apart from Garcia, of course. He never came with them for drinks after work. At the last office party, he didn't even mingle with any of them; not even just for a few nice words or some small talk.

_Maybe talking to guys who had seen the worst in human beings was not easy, but at least he could try_, Morgan thought.

"She's okay, but she won't be there. Just – God, leave her alone for one night, will you?" he got from Lynch. Someone definitely had a problem with attitude.

After that, he hung up on Morgan, leaving him wondering what had just happened. Sighing he closed his phone.

_Just another one of these evenings_, he thought to himself. It's not that he wasn't happy for his best friend, he really was, but since she had Kevin, none of the team really saw her anymore outside work. If they didn't literally drag her out once in a blue moon with them for drinks, they would never see her anymore. And it wasn't like Kevin wasn't welcome to join them at any time. He just never did.

Deep in his thoughts, he first didn't notice how the waitress placed another drink in front of him. Just when she was about to leave, he looked up and grabbed for her wrist.

"I… um … I didn't order that. There must be some … mix up."

"Oh, no, don't worry, honey. The lady over there sent this," the waitress explained, pointing towards the girl whose name Morgan still was trying to remember.

The girl gave him a wave, followed by a smile, and for a moment, Morgan thought about sending it back. He just wasn't in the mood. He had to admit, she looked good, his usual type, but tonight, he just couldn't be bothered.

He saw her get up and walk towards him. Maybe he should have acted quicker.

"Mind if I join you?" she asked, and before he could answer, she had already sat next to him.

"No, not at all," he found himself saying. He had always been quite useless when it came to turning someone down. Must have been connected to his minor hero-complex, to always be the good and nice guy.

"I'm sorry, this might sound strange, but do I know you from somewhere? Your face just seems so familiar to me…" he finally asked, giving up on producing a name anytime soon.

"I'm Tamara… Tamara Barnes," she said. The name rang a bell, but Morgan still couldn't quite put a finger on it.

"I'm Steve Barnes' sister. You solved his murder a while ago…" she volunteered when it seemed he still wasn't able to place a connection.

"Oh, right. I remember now. Sorry. How… how have you been doing?"

"I'm quite good, actually. Well, as good as you can be in a situation like this." She smiled at him, taking a sip from her drink. Since Derek specialized on behavior, it didn't escape his attention that she seemed nervous. Extremely nervous.

"Are you alright? You seem a bit …"

"Oh, I'm fine. No worry," she assured him, taking another sip from her drink.

_Of course __she's__ fine, _Derek thought to himself. He wasn't born yesterday, after all. He knew exactly what was going on. She was trying to make a move, to come on to him.

She'd already tried right after they had solved her brother's case. Back then, Derek had assumed she was just desperate for someone stable in her life. He just happened to be the first person to cross her path that day. He had turned her down politely, knowing the risks that came with being involved with family members of people whose case they'd just solved.

Seeing her now, though, things definitely had changed slightly. Given that five months had passed, it would have given her enough time to get adjusted to her brother's death.

And as he'd already noticed, she didn't look bad. Better actually, up close now.

"So, what are you doing all on your own here in a bar, on a night like this?" he heard her ask, and had to try really hard not to laugh. Such a line.

"I was actually meeting a friend. But she stood me up…" he explained and saw the shift in her expression.

"Girlfriend?"

"No, just … _a_ friend," Derek replied. He knew that Penelope Garcia was more than just** a** friend, she was his best friend, but right now, he was mad at her. Not that she would ever know… Lynch probably didn't even tell her he had called.

"Well, her loss is my gain," Tamara smiled sweetly at him. At her words, Morgan took his glass and knocked it against Tamara's with a smile that matched hers.

They left the bar a few hours later, making their way to Morgan's house.


	4. What a moron

_A/N: Thank you, thank you, thank you. These reviews made me laugh so much and so hard and loud, you wouldn't know. I want no one dead, or throwing their laptop out of windows, losing their lunches/dinners/breakfast, or – God forbid – coming after me. I needed to bring in girlfriend/boyfriend in order for them to wake up. From now on it only gets better. I promise. Now, we're getting somewhere. Enjoy!  
_

_

* * *

  
_

She had it planned so carefully. Wanted to make sure it is perfect. She made sure she got out of work on time, bought all sort of things she would need to cook, and made sure they wouldn't need to leave the bed for the whole weekend, except when they really, really needed to.

She told Kevin to be at her place at 7.00 sharp. It was 6.30. The food was cooking, and she had half an hour to get ready. Enough time to get into something sexy, put on some make-up and style her hair. She wanted to look good tonight. Not just good, actually. She wanted to look mind-blowingly gorgeous. And sexy. And slightly wicked.

The scarlet lipstick matched the deep red, knee length, very low-cut dress. Her blonde curls where neatly pinned up, and the high heels stood next to the door. She would just slip into them a second before she opened the door and blew Kevin Lynch away. Hopefully.

The table was set, the candles were lit, Whitney Houston was singing low in the background, and now all that was missing was her boyfriend.

The clock slowly changed to 7.00. Then 7.10. 7.20. At 7.30, Penelope started wondering whether she'd gotten the date right. One look in her calendar, and she was certain it was the correct date.

'_Where the hell is he?'_ she thought, looking again at the clock on the wall. Then she heard the knock. Rushing to the door and remembering just last minute to put the shows on before opening, she put on her best smile and then opened the door slowly.

"Kevin –"

"I'm sorry, Penny. Just … something came up. But I'm here now," he said, kissing her quickly and walking inside her apartment. While he passed her, Penelope could hear him say 'You look nice' and she turned around to the mirror behind her while closing the door.

_Nice. Nice?_

She checked herself and wanted to just make sure nothing about her appearance had changed since she left the bathroom over half an hour ago.

One look and she saw everything was still in place. The dress sat on every curve, the way it was supposed to, and the make-up still looked flawless.

_Nice?_

She let out a little sigh of frustration and followed Kevin into the kitchen, where everything was prepared for their dinner.

"Thank you, Kevin. You look … good," she said, looking at her boyfriend and… actually he looked exactly the same he looked this morning, or yesterday, or even the day before that. Same pants, same shirt. Even the tie was still the same, although it had a - what Penelope would guess as mustard – spot right in the middle of it.

"That's nice, darling. A cozy dinner, just you and me. It looks nice, what's cooking?" he asked, not paying attention to Penelope any longer.

"The lamb," she answered shortly, and found herself wondering why on earth she spent $200 on a dress that didn't even seem to be noticed by her boyfriend.

"So, not that I want to be nosy or anything like that, but … what happened? You just said stuff came up. Is everything alright?" she asked, although she wasn't concerned. After all, he looked okay to her. She just wanted to get an explanation as to why she had to wait over half an hour for him to show up. Today. On any other day, it would probably be just half as bad, but not today. Especially not after she spent half an hour getting ready and another two hours preparing the food.

"Oh, yeah, I'm alright. No worries. Just needed to stop at the game store on my way here and got held up there. They had this tournament going on for – " and there she stopped listening.

He let her wait, not just for anything, but for some stupid tournament for teens of some stupid video game that she could care less about. Did he even know what today was??

"Kevin, do you know what day today is?"

"Um… April, 24th. Why?" he asked innocently.

_He did not just give me __**that**__ as an answer. _

"Try again," she said, frustrated.

"Why don't you just tell me, Penny, and we can start eating…"

And, god, how much she hated that name. How much she hated being called Penny. Not even her mother had called her that. It was only Kevin who called her by that name, come to think of it. In the early beginning of their relationship, she had mentioned that she wasn't too happy with that nickname, but he just smiled and called her 'Penny' right away again.

"Never mind," she said finally, putting on her best fake smile and getting the food.

After they had eaten and Kevin didn't make any sort of remark about the dinner, the way she looked or the way they ate, with the candles or the wine, she decided to call it a night, frustrated and mad.

After Kevin left, she got her cell phone and dialed, without thinking or looking at the clock.

"What's up, buttercup," she heard a familiar voice ask, which managed to get her smiling within seconds.

"Why are guys so stupid?" she sighed into the phone, which got her a laugh from the other end.

"Well, because we simply are. Comes with the whole boyfriend experience. If you want a boyfriend, you need to accept that you also will get the whole stupidity when it comes to girls and feelings and stuff like that…"

"Hmm…" was all she could say.

"I'll be at your place in less than ten minutes, have the coffee ready and I will be all yours to moan and complain and yell at for the whole night. How does that sound, Baby Girl?"

"Hot Stuff, you don't have to. Seriously. I'll be fine. Just… needed someone to complain to."

"Well, too late, Goddess. I was on my way out the moment you asked why guys are stupid," he replied, making her smile again. Sometimes he was just so dependable it was painful.

She knew the way from his place to hers pretty well. She also knew how Morgan drove a car. When he said 'ten minutes' it meant 'five', which meant she didn't really have any time to change into something else.

Not even five minutes later, she heard a knock on her door. Instead of walking over to the door and letting Morgan in, she just yelled "use your key".

Just a second later, she heard a key being turned in the lock and the door being opened.

She didn't even need to look up to know that Morgan was standing in her hallway, taking her in and probably also weighing his options.

"What did he do?" she finally heard him asking.

"You know what day today is?" she asked Morgan, not even sure why. He would probably answer this question the same way Kevin did. But then again, Morgan didn't have to know. Not like Kevin should have.

"Yeah, the first anniversary for you and Kevin. Why?" he asked nonchalantly.

That made her lift her head from the back of her couch and look up in surprise.

"How do you know that?" she asked, making some space on the couch for Morgan to sit. God, she was such a bad hostess.

Morgan grinned at her, sitting down and looking at her.

"You started about a year ago talking about Lynch 24/7. Not that I mind. Just something I noticed. I didn't know the _exact _date, but I knew it was April. Seeing you in that amazing and, by the way, very revealing dress, and the state of your kitchen, I guess today is the day."

"I guess that means he forgot," Morgan stated after there was no response from Penelope.

"How can he forget something you seem to have no problems at all remembering?" she asked.

"Well, it is a proven fact that guys and dates are usually not a well working combination."

"You're a guy," she pouted.

"I'm not your boyfriend," he grinned at her.

"Okay, so maybe he didn't remember it the moment he walked through the door, but he at some point made up for the late realization, right?" Morgan asked carefully.

"He doesn't know. I did ask him whether he knew what today was, but when he couldn't give me a satisfying enough answer, I decided to just… I don't know, be mad and ignore the fact that he had not a clue. And get drunk with the wine he didn't even touch. Apparently – as it turns out - he doesn't drink wine anymore. Doesn't agree with his whole new organic, vegan diet, which he is on since yesterday, and also forgot to inform me about."

"Wait a minute. He did see you in _that_ dress, right?" Morgan asked, pointing towards her. Garcia just nodded, not even bothering to answer.

"I basically bought a $200 dress, spent ages to get ready to look like that, and slaved hours in the kitchen, and he didn't notice _anything_, " she complained, looking something between mad and distraught.

When Morgan didn't answer or give any sort of response, she looked over at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she asked.

"I'm just wondering what kind of moron you date."

"Why?" she laughed.

"Well, cupcake, if I had been that boyfriend and you had opened that door for me, there would have been no way on Earth for me to not rip that dress from your body and take you right to bed. Screw the food, although it smells delicious and I'm sure it's wonderful, given you have worked so hard on it," he said with a serious expression.

And that made her laugh. So hard.

"Unfortunately, Kevin is not like you."

"Why didn't you just tell him? I mean… he might have done something then. Maybe not the timing you had been hoping for, but better late than never."

"I didn't want him to do things, or say stuff, just because I told him. You know? I wanted him to get it himself, say it because he suddenly realized."

"Makes sense. So you just … ate and he left? Without anything? Does he think you look like that every day? Not that I would mind. If you ever should decide on not having anything to wear for work, wear that dress," Morgan grinned.

"In your dreams, lover boy, and only there," she giggled and threw a pillow at him.

"What? You have photoshopped pictures of me in chaps, I now have _that_ image. I think we're even," he argued and got another pillow thrown at him.

"May I remind you that you have a girlfriend of three months? Just in case you forgot about Tamara," she reminded him.

"Of course I remember. For what kind of a moron do you take me for?" he asked, not even waiting for an answer before continuing. "You know what we do now, buttercup? We eat the rest of that dinner and watch a movie," he suggested and got an agreeing nod from Penelope.

"You stay put," he ordered, when she started to get up from the couch. "You have worked hard enough for tonight, Goddess. I'll get the plates with some food and the rest of the wine in two glasses. You just … stay where you are," she heard him continue, walking towards the kitchen and getting two plates. A few moments later, he came back with the plates of food, forks and knives, and left again to get the wine glasses.

Halfway through the movie, when the food was gone and the wine glasses were more or less empty, Garcia had found her way into his arms. Like she always did. Not that he minded... He loved their movie sessions, which had been less frequent since Kevin Lynch entered Penelope's life.

By the end of the movie, she was deep asleep against him, her arms wrapped loosely around his torso, her head resting on his upper chest. He didn't want to wake her, so he slowly moved and unwrapped himself from her, getting off the couch and looking down on his best friend for a moment. Even while asleep, she looked still mad.

_What a moron_, he thought to himself about Kevin.

He slowly moved his arms under Penelope and lifted her up, carrying her to her bed and setting her down gently. After getting her wrapped in the sheets and comforter, making sure she wouldn't be cold, he walked back to the living room, made himself comfortable on the couch and drifted off to sleep slowly.

* * *

_Everyone happy now? Like me again?  
_


	5. What a bitch

_A/N: I told you we move somewhere. And now we get even another step further towards happy-ending. =) Glad everyone likes me again.  
_

* * *

It had been a bad case, and Morgan was just glad to be back home.

His plans for the weekend included nothing else than his bed, the TV and fast food being delivered to his front door.

After chasing after the bad guy for more than a week nonstop, without any sleep... that was definitely what he desperately needed. To do absolutely nothing, so he could show up at work on Monday and chase after the next bad guy. And there would be another bad guy, there always was.

But the moment he stepped into his house and saw her, he knew that his plans had changed.

Morgan was about to ask Tamara how she managed to get into his house, but then remembered that he had given her a key a couple of weeks ago when both he and Penelope had to leave on a case and no one would be around to look after Clooney.

"Tamara. Have to say I didn't really expect you," he said, moving closer to her and giving her a kiss. She pulled away before he could even deepen the kiss and stood up.

"I thought I'd surprise you, since I haven't really seen you lately."

"Sorry about that, but my life had been a bit stressful lately. With travelling cross country a few times…"

"What happened to your leg?" she asked, but instead of waiting for him to answer, she turned and walked towards the kitchen.

"I broke my ankle. Nothing too bad though. Just a simple fracture, should be healing okay…" he said, limping after her. He didn't like his crutches and wasn't used to them yet. The two days he'd had to spend in the hospital, doing nothing, had been bad enough. At least Hotch dropped of the case files for him to study, after Morgan complained and annoyed him long enough that he needed _something_ to do.

"Good, good," she said, and it didn't escape Morgan that she wasn't paying much attention to him anymore. It had been like that a lot lately. Anytime he talked about something she wasn't really into or interested in, she just didn't listen anymore. But - God forbid - he ever dared do something similar. He would never hear the end of it.

"So how long will it take for you to get out of …that," she asked, gesturing wildly towards Morgan's foot.

"It will take a few weeks to heal properly," he explained, noticing the disapproving expression on her face.

"What? Am I inconveniencing you somehow?" he joked, hoping to be wrong. He wouldn't ask for help, but knew the first few days might be tough on him. And since she was already here anyway …

"So I guess I won't get you to go with me to that art exhibition, which opens tonight?" Tamara asked.

"No way. Sorry, anytime else you could count on me, but not like this, with a cast and on crutches," he apologized. Not that it seemed to do a lot with his girlfriend.

"But you know, since you are here, maybe there is a chance you could help me with …" he started, figuring he needed _someone_ to help him.

"Oh no. No, no, no, no. I'm not your nurse. Plus, these tickets were way too expensive to go to waste. I'll call you in a couple of days, to check on how you're doing," she said, then got her coat and left Morgan back in his kitchen.

Just a moment after Tamara had gone, his cell rang. Caller ID read _Garcia, P._

"You were the last person I expected to get a call from tonight, to be honest, Baby Muffin," he said cheerfully into his headset.

"Oh, don't you Baby Muffin me –, " he heard the upset voice of Penelope.

"What's wrong, Penelope?" he asked. He rarely used her first name, unless he felt she was extremely mad, upset or both and he was in desperate need for something neutral.

"You get shot and therefore break your leg and I need to hear it from Hotch? You didn't even consider calling me?" she asked, and he thought her voice just jumped an octave.

"I didn't get shot," he tried to calm her.

"You got shot at, right?" she asked, still furious.

"Yeah, well. Yes, but I didn't break my ankle due to being shot. I was just looking for something I could hide behind, and while running over there, I tripped over a … I'm sorry, Baby Girl," he finally gave up. Arguing with Penelope while she was mad like that was nonsense anyway. He would explain it to her when she was calm and actually listening. "I'm really, really, deeply sorry, Baby Girl," he tried again. And he really was. He knew how upset Penelope got whenever he got himself into danger.

There was a long silence.

"I'll be over in ten; I was on my way to your place anyways. I have Thai food with me," she explained before she hung up. She always did this. Always hung up before he could reply and say 'no'. But the truth was, tonight he wouldn't have said no, since he needed someone. And he could be certain that Garcia wouldn't turn him down like Tamara. Unless, of course, she was still really, really mad at him.

He heard the key being turned in the lock, and a few moments later, his best friend stood in the doorway to his kitchen, two paper bags filled with what he assumed was the Thai food she had been talking about. She placed the bags on his counter and walked around in the kitchen to take a look at Morgan, who sat on one of the chairs.

The look on her face indicated that she was still mad. But the moment her eyes saw his ankle, that shifted into concern.

"Why does it always have to be you?" she asked, slapping his head slightly.

"Bad guys just love me, what can I say?" he grinned.

Penelope groaned and rolled her eyes at him.

"How's the ankle? I hope it hurts like hell," she asked, glaring at him.

"It does, but hopefully the painkillers will kick in soon. Are you here to torture me some more?" he asked playfully and got a smile out of her. At least that was something.

"I wish. But you are like a puppy. All cute and adorable, and also helpless. There is no way someone could stay mad at you. Although I told myself I would stay mad at you long enough to at least yell at you properly. Or hit you. Whichever came first," she stated.

"You yelled at me already, over the phone," he reminded her.

"Oh, don't make me hit you, sugar."

"Promises," he replied, and wanted to leave the kitchen quickly, but forgot for a moment about his broken ankle and therefore hit the floor – what looked to Garcia – painfully.

"That serves you right," she bent down laughing, offering him a hand and her shoulder to wrap his arm around to help him up. Unfortunately, Morgan was not only rather strong, but also heavy, which resulted in Penelope having to try several times in pulling him up with her, which ended in even more laughter.

When both of them managed to make it to his bedroom, with the food in hand, she let Morgan down on his bed, placing the food next to him.

"You left the crutches in the kitchen," he joked, looking up at her with a smile in his eyes.

"Well, maybe I wanted to have you at my mercy, my chocolate Adonis," she laughed back, before going around his bed and lying down on the other side.

"There are way worse things I could think about than being at your mercy," he flirted back.

After Morgan distributed the food and the chopsticks between himself and Garcia, Penelope got up, looking for a DVD to put on and pressed 'play' on the remote, moving back to the bed to lay down again.

"What are we watching?"

"_Butterfly Effect_," she answered before she moved a large portion of food to her lips.

"How is that we end up watching this movie every time I get you into my bed?" Morgan asked playfully, at which Garcia gave him a funny look.

"Because secretly I want Ashton Kutcher, but, well, since he isn't available anymore, you are my back-up plan. Feel honored," she ordered with a smile.

"I am, trust me, Baby Girl. I really am."

"Where is Tamara tonight, by the way? I would have expected her to hover all over you, making sure you are taken care of…"

"She decided she could leave me alone for a few hours to go and see an important art exhibition that opens tonight. She apparently had tickets for it that weren't really cheap. Down at the Smithsonian."

"Well, we see that you certainly cannot be left alone without supervision. Last time someone decided that you could, you ended up breaking your ankle and getting shot…"

"Baby, I didn't get shot, I got shot at. There is a difference…" he tried to argue again, but knew he'd already lost before he really started. Arguing with Penelope just wasn't going anywhere.

Instead of answering, she just glared, making sure he knew that to her, there wasn't really a difference. Both were dangerous.

.

"Smithsonian, you said?" she asked, referring back to Tamara's plans.

"Yes, as far as I know…"

"Not the Smithsonian Museum of African Art, by any chance?" Garcia asked, and Derek nodded, wondering when she had developed an interest in art.

"I had tickets for that as well, actually. Wanted to go there with Kevin. But when Hotch told me about you, that, of course, lost priority. After all, I can still go and see it next week or some other time."

"You are unbelievable, you know that, woman?"

"Why? Because I put you above my interest in art?"

"Kind of. Since when are you interested in art, anyway?"

"Oh, the things you don't know about me could fill a whole book, gorgeous," she grinned.

"That much, huh?" he asked, hearing a phone ring.

.

Garcia shifted around on the bed, grabbing in the back pocket of her jeans and pulling out her cell phone.

Looking at the display, her expression changed from smiling to slightly apologetic.

"Oh damn," she said, causing Morgan to look at her.

"Bad news?" he asked.

"Kevin. I … um… might have forgotten to inform him of our change of plans."

"You didn't tell your boyfriend that you were coming by my place?" he asked, surprised. When she'd told him that she wanted to go tonight to the opening, but changed plans as soon as Hotch told her about his broken ankle, Morgan had assumed she had talked to Kevin to postpone things. Maybe not, judging from the expression on her face.

Penelope shook her head, making her curls swirl around her face.

"Well, you could still make it. I mean, you have been here just... what? An hour or so? If you run out the door, you could be there in twenty minutes or so…"

The phone had stopped ringing, and both assumed it went either to voicemail or Kevin had given up. Just then it started ringing again, the sounds of Whitney Houston's 'Exhale' filling the room.

"I guess I have to answer that at some point," Garcia admitted, before getting up and leaving the room, answering the phone as she made her way down the hall.


	6. loosing baggage

_A/N: Okay, let's get this rolling towards the end. Three more._

* * *

If he had known what was in store for him back home, Derek Morgan might have decided to do some paper work. He hadn't even managed to close the door before Tamara stood in front of him, an expression on her face that bode ill.

"Do you know how late it is?" she asked, staring at Morgan with an expression that was pure anger.

"Um … something past eight. Did we … have any plans for tonight? If so, I'm terribly sorry …" he started, but didn't get much further before he was interrupted by her groaning.

"I stood here for hours, slaving away to have the food ready, and you? You just … don't show up," she exclaimed with dramatic gestures and a matching expression on her face.

Morgan looked on the counter of his kitchen, seeing several plates with food resting on it.

"That's take-away from the Chinese around the corner," he remarked with a little smile, somehow amused by her shenanigans. Looking at the food neatly presented on the dishes, he wondered when he'd actually seen her cook. Tamara was more like the person that used a kitchen for appearance, like one of those things you see in catalogues. For her, the kitchen was used more as a place where she could host gatherings and socialize, rather than cook.

"It's the thought that counts," she argued, and Morgan knew she hadn't expected him to actually notice, or acknowledge, her bluff.

"You're never here; always jetting through the country and doing stuff. Sometimes I wonder if you actually still love me," he heard her saying suddenly.

"Jetting through the country?" he asked surprised, not sure how to react to this.

"That makes it sound like some freaking holiday. You do know what I do for a living, right? I'm not just flying to LA or Miami on short notice because I have a sudden urge for some rays of sun. Plus, I've been here, in Washington, for the past three weeks. You apparently were too busy with God knows what to notice."

And, great, there went the peaceful and quiet evening he was hoping for.

"Those were things I'd had planned for weeks. You can't expect me to just jump the moment you decide you have time. All the time and effort I am putting into this relationship, trying to make it work, and nothing is returned by you. I've always been there, all the time. Admit it, you just can't commit to anyone but yourself. You are scared to death of committing to a relationship, and therefore to someone else."

"We have been going out for over three years now. How much more committed can it get?"

"Marry me," she said, surprising Derek with her bluntness.

"What? I'm not marrying you just because you somehow want more commitment. That's crazy," he exclaimed. His ability to remain calm had long since gone out the window.

"Oh right. You can't marry me, because you are already married... to your job. I've always been second. Or third, actually. Right after the job and that Garcia girl," she screamed. Derek wondered how much longer this would go on.

He knew about the difficulties between Penelope and Tamara. In the beginning, they seemed to get along okay, but after a while, Tamara started stressing out about Garcia and their movie nights or the Friday night drinks. He had asked Penelope several times if it was okay with her if Tamara joined them, never getting any negative reply, but Tamara always declined, despite her complaining a few days earlier.

A few times already, she'd told him that she felt like Penelope was more important to him that she was.

"Penelope is my best friend; we have a long history together. She is important to me, but you are definitely not less important. You are my girlfriend, she is my best friend. These are two completely different things. I'm sorry if I made you feel less important. And concerning my job? Well, I love my job, love what I do. I admit it can be quite hard and tricky sometimes with me having to go somewhere last minute and at short notice, but that unfortunately can't be changed," he reasoned, hoping he could calm her down a bit. His head was already exploding from the major headache he had, and a screaming Tamara was definitely not helping right now to fight the pain.

"It can be changed, and you know that," she said, stopping quickly to make sure she had his attention. "Just put in for a transfer. There must be a department within the FBI that doesn't travel all the time."

"I love my job. I love the people I work with. We are like family. I'm not going to transfer just because you would prefer me to be home more often, in order to comply with your weird idea of a picture perfect family. I'm sorry, but you will have to accept that I'm not going to change my career plans anytime soon," he explained, knowing the moment he said it that he could have used slightly different words to make it sound less matter-of-fact and more understanding.

He knew it wasn't easy, dealing with his job. Hell, he had seen how Hotch's family had broken apart due to his job. He knew it took a lot of effort from both parties to make things work, but there simply was no way he was going to leave the team; no matter how much, and how often, Tamara complained. He loved the team simply too much to just leave.

"Either the job changes, or I go," she threatened before getting her coat and moving towards the front door.

"Tamara, you can't be serious. First you tell me to marry you in order to show you how committed I am, and now you make me choose between my job and you? Tell me you are joking…"

"I'm not. It's either me or the job. I just can't take it any longer. Also, what proof do I have that you really fly to all these places? You could just have some mistress and pretend to 'work' as far as I'm concerned."

"Are you serious? A mistress? What … how do you even get ideas like this?" he asked in disbelief.

After a short silence, Derek shook his head, knowing what he had to do. This just wasn't working out any longer. He already fought enough issues at work, with all the criminals he chased after; he didn't need another war zone at home.

"I have committed myself to this relationship. Been there all the time, whenever you needed me…" she whined, ignoring his question. That was something he had learned rather soon about her. Any awkward question or something she couldn't give an answer to was simply ignored.

Derek looked at her for a moment, thinking things through. She stood there in his hallway, with her coat and dress on, looking more like she was going to a party than having planned a cozy evening at home with him.

Still looking at her, he held his hand out. Tamara looked confused and moved her hand towards his slowly. Derek shook his head.

"No, I want the key back," he stated and saw the shocked look on her face. She didn't expect that.

"I … what? Why?"

"You told me to choose. That's what I'm doing. I made my choice," he gave her as an explanation. Tamara now looked more shocked at him than before, but still not moving an inch to get the requested keys out of her handbag.

"You choose your job over me? Me?" she asked in disbelief.

"Tamara, you are not perfect. As a matter of fact, you are the furthest from perfect. At least for me. We have been dating three years, and okay, the first year was fantastic. We had a lot of fun, the sex was good and it all worked out great. But the past two years, we have spent more time fighting and arguing, including you accusing me of cheating several times. It's obvious to me that there is no trust on your side. Or interest for that matter. You don't even notice when I come home and have a bandaged hand or some blood on my shirt. I'm not expecting you to fall all over me, worrying and cuffing me to the house because you think I have a dangerous job. But … some sort of emotion other than the ones you display when you need something from me would be nice. You, on the other hand, expect me to leave everything standing and run to you at the slightest problem. This is a relationship we both have committed to, and that just works if both people make concessions. Lately, I only see me making these concessions and you just doing and taking what you feel like."

Morgan hadn't intended on giving her such a speech. He just wanted his keys, and her, out of his house and life. But there'd obviously been something inside him, something that needed to be said aloud.

He hadn't been happy with the relationship they had for a long time, but had always been either too busy to sit down and talk, or had just ignored the issues he had, feeling like he was becoming too picky.

Tamara looked at him for a few moments, thinking of how to reply, but decided on not saying a word. She simply got the keys out of her handbag and threw them at him before opening the door.

She probably thought she was making some sort of a point when she slammed door as she left. But the only thing Derek was concerned about was that this leg of his life had come to an unexpected, and maybe also somewhat early, ending.

He bent down to get the keys, placing them in the bowl where a spare set of keys was already laying.

Then his eyes drifted to the box on the top of the shelf – covered in a thick layer of dust.

He took it off the shelf and opened the lid after sitting down on his couch. The first thing he saw was the ring his grandmother had given him shortly before she died, telling him to give that ring to the one woman he would marry - the one that would "manage to tame him".

He hadn't found that woman yet, but he'd kept the ring just in case.

Further down in the box, he found the first love letter he had written, clipped to the first one he had ever received. He was seven, and utterly in love with Christina O'Neil in his class. Cute, petite, blonde.

Back then, he was not really well built, but was small and rather weak. The taller and older kids used to bully him and try to steal his lunch, and one day, when they tried again, Christina came and just kicked one of the guys in the shin.

That impressed a young Derek Morgan. And from that day onwards, he always spent his lunch with her and was never bothered by one of the older guys.

Wanting to give her the letter the next day, his plans and ideals were destroyed when he saw her 'kissing' Bradley Nixon – a guy who was a year older and usually chased her all over the school yard during their breaks. His heart was broken for weeks – that's what it felt like to him, at least. Somehow Morgan always thought that Christina ruined him for all women after her. That's why he spent most of his high school and college years fooling around and not getting into any too serious relationships. Same with most of his twenties. Or maybe not – maybe he was just a notorious player who would have broken her heart sooner or later.

Ashley Jenson was a year younger than he was and a textbook geek; thick glasses, braces and clothes to match the image. She was a shy, yet sweet, girl who was harassed by most people in his class. She helped him with Algebra three times a week, right in-between school and football practice. He liked her, a lot, actually – but not in a love kind of way - and didn't agree with what the others did to her. Especially the girls from the cheerleader squad. Girls could be so cruel. She gave him the letter in private, and normally, no one would ever have found out if it hadn't been for Malcolm Hassberger, who found the letter by accident. Of course, he had to show it to the whole team – including the cheerleaders.

He'd felt sorry for her that day, but was too much of a coward to step up and say something to the guys.

Ashley moved a couple of months after the incident because her father was relocated to a different city. He learned his lesson a few years later when he saw her in one of those fashion magazines as Victoria's Secret's newest addition.

There were another few memories in the small box, but what caught his eyes was the now grey-ish piece of paper. When he took it out of the box, he noticed it was a napkin. Unfolding it, he suddenly remembered. That night at the bar, he and Penelope decided to get married if they were still single. Well, actually, just he'd decided, but Penelope, the great friend she was, followed suit and agreed.

He looked at it, his lips curving to a smile. That was nearly five years ago.

"With my signature, I promise to marry the other one, love and honor him, with all I'm worth," he read, and saw his neat signature a bit below the 'promise'.

Penelope's was there as well, completed with a smilie face.

He remembered that evening very vividly, including what she said shortly before signing. He would be married to Miss Universe, while she would be single again, complaining about her latest ex.

Funny how he just realized that of the two of them, he was the one who was now single and she was on her way to get married. He knew that Kevin was going to pop the question tonight. Kevin told him himself. He wanted to make sure Morgan wouldn't spoil the surprise for Penelope, but he needed someone to confide in. Derek Morgan, of all people, was who Kevin Lynch chose to confide in.

_The lucky bastard_, he thought to himself. Penelope was probably the best person Morgan had ever met; always there for him, always committed to their friendship, to Morgan. He remembered how Tamara had left him to run to some art show when he had broken his ankle and Penelope – without even him asking or calling – showed up to help him through the first few days, postponing all her plans she had with Kevin for that weekend. But that was just how Penelope was; completely unselfish and more concerned for others than for herself. He remembered how she was always about to rip him apart when he got himself in danger again, even worse when he was injured.

She helped him when his nightmares returned, or when he again decided singlehood was much more pleasant than dating. She was always there, with advice and an ear to listen to whatever he chose to complain about.

Yes, Kevin Lynch was definitely lucky. He remembered the night of their first anniversary. That red dress, the way she looked. The image 'haunted' him for weeks after that night. How Lynch was able to walk out on her just like that, when she looked that amazing, was still beyond Morgan, as well as how quickly she forgave him for forgetting the day in the first place. He wanted her to be happy, to find her happily ever after. But with Kevin Lynch? No, she deserved someone better, someone who was at least as committed to her as she was to him.

_Someone like me._

And that's when it hit him, when realization sunk in.

He loved her.

And of course he had to realize that the same day she was about to get a proposal.

_Great timing, buddy._

Tamara was the past. Penelope should have been the future.


	7. Right time only wrong guy

_A/N: Thanks to everyone for reviewing, alerting and fav'ing this story. Makes me smile.  
_

* * *

When Penelope entered her apartment, she was met by heat.

And looking around her usually rather crowded place, all she could see were the bunches of candles placed on any possible surface that had space.

There were also roses, loads of them, everywhere.

_What's going on?_ she thought, not sure what to expect, or whether she maybe had entered the wrong apartment.

Kevin had left a rather cryptic voicemail earlier that day, telling her to try and make it out of work on time and to go straight to her place. He would meet her there, and he had big news for her.

She didn't get too excited, since Kevin seemed to have loads of 'big news' lately. His last big news was the opening of some comic store downtown, for which Penelope couldn't care less.

She definitely didn't expect _this__._

"Kevin?" she shouted into the apartment.

No answer.

"Kevin?" she tried again, a bit louder. This time, he came from her kitchen, wearing a tuxedo and a huge grin, carrying even more roses. He walked towards her, gave her the roses and kissed her quickly. Affection never had been his strength.

"Kevin, what's going on?" she asked.

"Just… wait, okay? I have this planned. Perfectly. And you are right on schedule."

'_Schedule for what?'_ she wondered.

Penelope thought for a moment. She thought about today's date and was pretty certain that today was definitely no anniversary. Her email and cell phone were set up to remind her at least two weeks before any big dates and events.

He guided her towards her couch, which was surrounded by candles, rose petals and glittery stuff, which Penelope was already wondering about how she was going to get it out of the fabric of the couch and the carpet.

"Kevin, seriously, what is going on? I appreciate the … whatever is going on here, but could you please just fill me in? I'm getting a bit worried here, that I might have forgotten something, like an anniversary or such thing…"

"Oh, no, you haven't. If anything, we will create a new anniversary tonight," he answered mysteriously.

_What was that supposed to mean?_

He motioned for her to sit down while he remained standing.

Expectantly, she looked up at him, waiting impatiently and slightly worried about what would happen next.

"Penelope, my beloved Penelope…" he started. She already had this really weird feeling in her tummy.

"I love you so much, so very much. I have for … years, long before we went out. I saw you the first time seven years ago, when you were about to leave with the rest of the team, on one of your first assignments outside the office. You were excited, like a child on its first day of school. And I fell in love with you right back then. When we started dating a little less than five years ago, I was in heaven. I have tried to be the best possible boyfriend, as perfect as possible for you. And having you here, with me right now... I… I want to ask you …" he said, taking a few deep breaths before saying the last part and Penelope went pale.

"Are you … proposing?" she asked, before he could finish, which spoiled his whole plan.

"I… what?" he asked, looking shocked. "The plan was that I would ask you, not that you would guess it before I get there. Can you just… please, this one time, let me finish?" he asked, sounding upset.

"I'm sorry" she apologized.

"So…. Will you?" he asked, looking at her. And she looked at him, expecting more to come than just this. Nothing more came.

"Um… shouldn't you be asking properly? With the whole question? And on one knee?" she wondered. She usually wasn't the one to complain, but since he already made a fuss about her interrupting him before he could ask, she at least expected him to ask properly nevertheless.

He looked at her, half annoyed and half confused.

"You already know what I want to ask. Just… what difference does it make now?"

This was probably one of the worst proposals she had ever seen. Not that she herself had gotten so many, no, but … she might have been a bit spoiled by TV and movies. After all, the ambience was set pretty well, with all the candles and roses, but the way the proposal was actually done lacked something. Or rather, a lot. Okay, she interrupted him when he was about to ask, but was that any reason for him just take a short cut now?

She thought about the moment. And looked at Kevin. Properly.

When she was eleven, it had been the first time she was in love, with a guy three years older than she was. His name was Morgan Blacksmith and he was the quarterback of the junior high school team. Every girl loved him. They literally flocked to him, and there was no way she would ever have a chance with him. Life had taught her that pretty soon. Unless you had legs to the sky and a matching top model body, guys didn't really run after you.

Penelope had been curvy right from an early age, never really having an issue with it. She learned early to accept the way she was, and that guys were more into looks than intelligence, but she was smart enough to know not to change just because she didn't fit some stupid beauty ideal.

She never got Morgan Blacksmith, which was probably also because she never went after him, but when she was alone in her bedroom at home, she liked to imagine they were dating, and after college, he would propose. And she knew how he would propose.

Surrounded by candles, with a huge bouquet of red roses in one hand and a box with a ring in the other. Of course, he would propose on one knee. Kevin at least managed to get one half of the fantasy right, without even knowing probably, since she never told anyone about that particular idea.

The candles, the flowers, the timing. It was close to perfect, but something just felt wrong. It was not the way he had asked her, although that was kind of a turn off. She could overlook that little flaw, after all – God knows how much more often she would find herself being proposed to.

She thought about all the moments she had shared with Kevin over the past four years. Strangely enough, the first memory that came to her mind was that one dreadful evening, when he forgot their first anniversary. Or the second for that matter.

_If I had been that __boyfriend,_ _t__here__ would have been no way on __Earth__ for me to not rip that dress from your body and take you right to bed_, she still heard Morgan saying. And even now, nearly three years after that dreadful night, she still giggled about him saying it.

Morgan had always been there – to usually pick up the pieces Kevin had left. She knew that things wouldn't be as easy, with her job and the things she saw, and Kevin of course not being able to understand any of it. To him, it had always been so simple. Nightmares? Change the job. That was his solution to her problem. To change to a different department.

He didn't understand her ambition to stay with the BAU, to stay with her family – because that's what they were. Her family. Rossi was like a father – which was proven by Kevin when he went to him for a 'man to man' talk, despite Penelope's protest and disagreement. He simply went over her head and told Rossi he was dating her and would be there for the long haul. Or something like that. Rossi never mentioned it, and Penelope sure as hell was not going to ask.

Hotch was like the uncle, who always had an eye on you just in case dad was occupied, JJ and Emily like the sisters she never had, and Reid like the geeky little brother.

Morgan, on the other hand, was like the older brother, desperate to keep you away from the bad boys and the pain they could cause you. But he also was like her soul mate – someone she trusted while blindfolded and never doubted. If he asked her to jump, she would only ask how high. There was a special bond between the two of them; a bond everyone somehow was aware of, even Kevin, eventually. And he also realized there was nothing that could get between the two of them or keep them apart.

In the beginning, they seemed to have their differences, with Kevin accusing Penelope several times of having an affair with Morgan, but somehow, the moment Tamara stepped into Morgan's life, that was never mentioned again.

She had to admit that when she started dating Kevin, she kind of neglected her best friend for a while. Their usual Friday night drinks after work more often got canceled or forgotten.

She had let him down several times during the beginning of her relationship with Kevin, but Morgan always forgave her. After a short time of sulking, of course.

Kevin just had to understand that she and Morgan had a special connection, a certain bond. In the beginning of their special relationship, when the phone flirting started and it all was new to them, Garcia somehow always expected to be called into Strauss' or Hotch's office and getting a speech on sexual harassment. Given what she and Morgan exchanged all day long in pleasantries, nicknames and sexual suggestions, the thought was not too off.

When she told Morgan a few years ago about that fear, he just grinned at her, saying if that's what she wanted, he could always step it up a notch.

He had been there, always. When the nightmares came, he called her every night before she went to bed, talking to her about everything, making sure she was alright. Even when the team had to go to Alaska, into the middle of nowhere with no cell reception for most of their case, he had managed to track down a phone at the worst possible times for him to call her.

He was there when Kevin forgot their first anniversary, and again on their second. He told her she should dump him, and she knew if she had, he would have been there to pick up the pieces again.

When her aunt died a while ago, the last family member she had known, he was there as well, flying with her to Oregon, to attend the funeral with her, be a shoulder to cry on and also to lean against when she needed support.

When she needed someone to complain to about something Kevin had done wrong once again, or what he screwed up, he had always listened – of course, not without commenting and always having Penelope's back. He'd been there so often, without asking, without expecting something in return. And that's what she liked so much about what they had. Neither of them kept a score of who owned who a favor, or who was more supportive. They just were, and never asked the other one for anything in return. They sensed each other's feelings like no one else. One look at Morgan, and Garcia knew exactly what was going on in his head and whether he was happy or mad, even if he tried to fake it.

That was something she never managed to establish with Kevin. Kevin didn't really talk feelings or emotions, ideas or things like that. She felt like he held back from her, always seeming like he needed to keep some secrets from Penelope. 'Secrets' were something she and Derek didn't have. Everything was up for discussion, with night long talks if needed.

She gave up on a fairytale with her best friend a long time ago. When Kevin entered her life, the idea of her and Derek went out the window, just to be fair to Kevin. After all, she couldn't chase after that dream forever, could she?

That's when it hit her. She might be with Kevin, but in love? Most likely not. She thought she was, but when she spent longer thinking about Morgan than the proposal that had just happened, something was definitely wrong. And now she could name exactly what felt so wrong about Kevin's proposal. It wasn't the proposal that was the problem, not even how he ended up proposing, it was the _person_ who proposed. _That_ was the problem.

She might have 'dumped' her 'Penelope and Morgan' fantasy in order to give Kevin a fair chance, but the truth was, it was never fair. There was no way on Earth she could ever dump that fantasy. It was Derek Morgan, after all. He held her heart long before Kevin showed up, and he sure as hell wouldn't give it back to her anytime soon. She knew no matter how much Kevin tried, and even if she'd say 'yes' now, there would be no happy ending for this story when it included Kevin. He deserved someone who really appreciated him. Someone who also forgot anniversaries, just like himself.

Her heart was with Derek, and probably would remain with him until the day she died.

"Kevin," she finally said, after what seemed like hours. Or ten minutes. Whatever.

She took his hands into hers, and then worried that it might give him the incorrect idea.

"I'm sorry. Please don't … don't take this wrong, and although this is probably the worst line someone could ever say … I can't marry you. And you honestly need to believe me when saying that it isn't you, it is me. It wouldn't be fair from me to marry you, this all is … "

"Too much, right? It is too much. I should never have listened to Derek Morgan," he interrupted her. And that got her attention.

"Morgan? What does he have to do with any of this?" she asked, confused.

"I asked him for advice in regards of the proposal, figured I needed some second opinion. And Derek Morgan knows what women want. I mean, all he needs to do is breathe and they fall all over him. So one would assume he has a pretty good idea of what women want. So I went to him. And he was all 'sweep her of her feet'. Said I should do it properly with roses and candles and as a surprise. With big words and some sort of emotional speech. 'Women want to hear that' he said. As if. We just see he has no clue about that, since you seem to not even like it. I should have done it my way. Take you out to that takeout Chinese place and just pop the question with the fortune cookies. Without much drama and acting. Just you and me, some fast food and a question…." he went on rambling.

'_This was Morgan's idea?'_ she wondered.

"You would have taken me to a takeout place and proposed over fortune cookies?" she asked in disbelief. And of course, how could someone who forget **two** anniversaries - probably even three if she herself hadn't mentioned it to him a day before the actual date – come up with_ the _über-proposal?

Takeout Chinese and fortune cookies was, after all, Kevin's idea of an ideal proposal. And the fact that he had talked to Morgan about all this –

"Wait a minute," she suddenly said. "Derek knows about this?" she asked, and Kevin just nodded in between blowing out the candles.

The evening was officially over.

"Yeah, I told him to not mention it to you, since he was all 'do it as a surprise'. Should have known he knows shit about stuff like that. Why was I even listening to him?" he asked. Penelope sure as hell was not going to answer that.

After she had turned him down, and it became obvious that she didn't just turn him down, but had also somehow ended their relationship, Kevin left rather quickly. He didn't say much, didn't even expect any sort of longer explanation from her.

_Maybe he already knows, _she thought, before calling it a night.


	8. You turned him down?

_A/N: Glad everyone was relieved that she said 'no'. Were you actually doubting me?_

* * *

She went to bed, but given that it was little after 8.30 pm, she wasn't even close to being tired.

After giving up on trying to fall asleep, eventually she got up, walked into her living room and thought of what she could do next.

She decided a glass of wine might be a good start to sort her confusing thoughts. She just got a proposal, which she turned down, realizing she actually loved someone else and could never be happy with anyone but him.

After her third glass of wine, she'd managed to make up her mind. She needed to tell him. After all, they didn't have any secrets. She hoped it wouldn't affect their relationship too much, given that Morgan was most likely used to plenty of female attention. He must have found himself in a similar situation before, a female friend being in love with him and such.

Of course, she would leave out the part that she couldn't be happy with anyone but him. After all, he didn't need to know the whole truth. Just enough for him to deal with it for now.

She slowly reached for her phone, pressing the '1' for his number, and waited for him to pick up… but all she got was a busy tone.

* * *

He reached for his phone, wanting to call Penelope, letting her in on his thoughts and what had happened tonight with Tamara. But she was with Lynch right now, he knew. By now, Kevin should have gotten over the proposal part and she was probably lying in his arms and sobbing due to being overwhelmed by emotion, or they were screwing the hell out of each other in celebration of the soon to be wedding.

He could have kicked himself, the harder and more painful the better. He had her for years, all to himself, and didn't think, didn't realize anything. And now that he finally come to his senses, she was going to marry someone else.

He needed to think, so he went into the kitchen and got himself a glass of bourbon. He'd never had secrets from Penelope, and certainly didn't want to start now. But then again, she would get married, and telling her about his feelings might not be the smartest move right now.

He refilled his glass with the amber colored liquid and downed it in one go. But he couldn't just sit around and do nothing, could he?

It was either him telling her how he felt, and maybe ruin whatever they had for the past years, or put her happiness over his misery and not tell her.

For the first time in their friendship, Derek Morgan put his own needs above the ones of his best friend.

He got his cell phone, pressed '1' for Penelope and waited for her to pick up … but all he got was a busy tone.

He knew he had to do it tonight. Come tomorrow, he would have found a way to talk himself out of it.

He grabbed his keys, a coat and the box with the intention of making it to Penelope's tonight.

He had drunk enough to know he shouldn't be driving, so he walked. The fact that it had started raining like there was no tomorrow and wasn't stopping anytime soon couldn't stop him.

It was raining so heavily that even an umbrella wouldn't have managed the amount of water pouring down from above.

It was a twenty minutes' walk from his place over to Penelope's, and already a few moments into his quest, he was soaked up to his underwear.

* * *

She had given up on reaching Morgan for tonight, after a good ten minutes of voicemails and busy tones.

Tomorrow was still soon enough to start destroying what they had carefully built over the years, she decided.

The knock came a bit unexpectedly, but knowing that Kevin had given her his set of keys, he probably had no other choice than knocking. And it had to be Kevin. Who else could it be at that time? She should have expected it, should have known he wouldn't just quit like that. It probably just took a while longer to sink in about what had transpired tonight.

She got up and walked reluctantly to the door, preparing herself for whatever was ahead.

"Kevin, I still haven't changed my mind…" she started, while opening the door. But who she found standing there was definitely not Kevin. It was Morgan, soaked to the bone.

"Haven't changed your mind about what?" he asked.

"I … expected someone else," she answered, sounding surprised.

"I figured that much, when you called me Kevin," he smiled at her. _Maybe his timing wasn't that bad after all._

She opened the door further, motioning for him to come in. Once in her hallway, Morgan stopped and didn't move an inch, not sure what to do. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought his plan through that far.

He'd figured he would make his way to her place and then just see what would happen.

Not knowing what he was waiting for, Penelope took matters into her own hands, reaching for Derek's coat and literally peeled it off him. She let it fall to the floor, and after that first piece of clothing had been taken care of, she tucked at his shirt.

"Someone a bit desperate tonight?" she heard him ask in a teasing tone.

"You know me. Any chance of getting you undressed and I jump on it," she smiled back at him.

"That's my girl," he grinned, pulling his shirt over his head, tossing it on the pile with the soaked coat.

"I just don't want you to call in sick on Monday and then have to call me all day long as a result of having nothing to do," Penelope decided to explain, walking towards her bedroom. Meanwhile, Derek unbuckled his jeans and got out of his shoes and socks, followed by his jeans.

She came back with a pile of clothes he had left some time ago at her place and some towels.

Tossing the pile at him she grinned. "With all the water drops on you, you look like melted chocolate. Get dressed and dried up before I start licking you."

Morgan laughed out loud at that comment and started toweling off.

"That sounds more like a reason for not getting dressed," he finally said, while making his way to the bathroom.

When he came back, Penelope was sitting on the couch, lost in thoughts.

"So, goddess, tell me… what didn't you change your mind about?"

_Here goes nothing_, she thought, before starting to tell him about her evening.

"You turned him down?" Morgan asked, surprised.

"Turns out that my heart wasn't with him," she confessed, but went on before he could comment on it. "What gets you to my front door at this time, with it raining like hell outside? And why wouldn't you use your key?"

"I didn't know whether or not you might be … um …occupied with something else," he confessed, and good thing he didn't blush easily. After all, he knew what Kevin had planned for tonight.

"Also … I… um… needed to talk to you…" he went on, and could have kicked himself. After all 'I need to talk to you' usually triggered the worst fears in woman, usually for a reason.

But not with Penelope, as it turned out.

"What did she do this time?" Penelope asked, and surprised Morgan yet again.

"Who?" he asked.

"Tamara. What did she do this time? You came here to complain about her, right?"

"Um, not exactly… I … we … she isn't my girlfriend any longer," he told her. "We ended it tonight. Well, I did."

That came as a surprise to Garcia. She knew they had a reached a rough patch in their relationship, but hadn't realized that it was bad enough that Morgan would _end_ it.

"You wanna talk about it?" she offered neutrally.

"What's there to talk about? She made me choose: the team or her. I chose the team, without even thinking hard. Anyone who tells you to choose between family and herself isn't even worth the time," he stated, sounding more relieved that heart-broken. He didn't even seem hurt or down.

"Seems to be a good night for ending things, I guess. You and Tamara, me and Kevin…" he heard Penelope's voice and that got his attention. _ Her and Kevin?_

"Wait!" he exclaimed. "What? You and Kevin?"

"I decided I couldn't spend anymore time in a relationship that didn't move anywhere."

"He … proposed, baby. You call that 'not moving anywhere'?" he asked with a smile. Okay, so maybe he wasn't sad at how events turned out for her. She must be heartbroken, although she didn't look like it.

"It just felt… not right. To be honest … I gave my heart away a long time ago. And it wasn't to Kevin Lynch," she admitted. She looked at Morgan with quite a serious expression, with some fear mixed in as well.

She hoped he would get it - really get it.

He looked at her, held her gaze. That was the opening he needed. But instead of words, he decided actions would speak so much louder.

The first brush of his lips against hers sent shockwaves through her entire body. The sensation of his silky lips connecting to hers didn't even come close to her expectations. It was so much better.

She was shocked by his actions, electrified by his lips, and paralyzed by his hands, which cupped her face softly.

For a moment, she forgot about everything. Time, place, even who she was. All that mattered was him and his oh-so-feather-light kisses. Their lips barely touched, but it was beyond anything she had ever experienced. The best kiss of her entire life, and they hadn't even _really _kissed yet.

When she felt him pull back slightly, she panicked for a moment.

"Oh, no, you don't," she was about to say, but refrained. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back, missing the still barely touching contact already.

How could you already be as addicted to something that hadn't even ended yet?

She had kissed Kevin a lot during their five years together, but never had she felt anything like what she felt with Morgan. As a matter of fact, she had never felt anything like that before with anyone.

Like the contact of his lips to hers was crucial for her, essential for staying alive, more important that air to breathe.

With that small teaser only, Penelope was sure Morgan had managed to ruin every other guy for her. There was not even the slightest doubt about that for her.

When he finally, _finally_ deepened the kiss, there wasn't even the slightest protest from her. How could there be? Her mouth was busy with keeping up on whatever he did to her lips, her hands were busy exploring every possible inch of rock solid body that was, in this very moment, pressed against her, her body busy working on the sensations that seemed to have flooded her senses.

He pushed harder against her, forcing to back down with him on top of her. By then, his hands had managed their way under Penelope's shirt, pushing it up slowly so he could explore the newly exposed skin before moving his hands further up and pushing the fabric further out of his way. His hands were hot, leaving trails of fire wherever they touched her, giving her a feeling of being aflame.

He pressed himself harder against her, as if trying to get closer, like he'd miss something if not every inch of him was pressed against her.

It seemed like she had the same problem. Wrapping her left leg around his waist, she pulled him down and kept him in place. Her left arm was still slung around his neck, making sure that those magical lips of his wouldn't leave anywhere anytime soon, while her right hand was resting on his chest, buried under his shirt.

When his lips slowly parted from hers, she let out a sound of protest, which made him smile. She didn't want this to be over. Who knows when or if she would have that again? Maybe Morgan had decided that this had been a mistake, or he was disappointed, or whatever. She didn't want him to stop.

But one look in his eyes and she saw that he was definitely not disappointed, and that he didn't think this was a mistake. If the grin displayed on his handsome face was any indication, this was definitely not the last time, but rather the start of things.

"We aren't done, trust me," she heard him say and saw his grin. "Not even anywhere close to being done."

"Then why stop?" she asked with a grin that matched his.

"Because I ... we shouldn't rush things."

"You call the last ten years 'rushing things'?" she asked, slightly in disbelief, which earned her another grin from Morgan.

"Eight years, cupcake. But that doesn't matter. I just want … I want you to be sure…" he started, but didn't get any further. Penelope just rolled her eyes at him and pulled his head towards her, pressing a kiss against his lips.

Morgan took the hint and just smiled against Garcia's lips. When she released him again, she smiled.

"Trust me, after eight years, I _am_ sure. More than sure, actually. But I appreciate the concern," she reassured him before getting up.

"I'll be back in a moment. I need to run to the bathroom, stud muffin," she said and left the living room.

Morgan then stood up as well, seeing this as his opportunity, and went to the pile of wet clothes, which neither of them had bothered to get off the floor. He kneeled down next to it, going through the wet clothes, looking for something.

When he eventually found what he was looking for, he got back up and went to the kitchen, looking for some matches. He saw the roses that Lynch must have left, and thought for a moment of taking them with him, but then decided against it. There would be no way on Earth that he would give someone else's roses to his Baby Girl. Walking back with the matches, he tried to light as many of the already used candles as possible before his Baby Girl came back. He had managed to get a good half of all the candles in the room lit before she walked back into the room.

Instead of sitting down next to her, he chose to sit on the small table opposite her, holding a box in his hand.

_I should have been better prepared_, he thought to himself.

Penelope looked rather confused at him, not sure what to expect.

"You remember five years ago?" she heard him ask.

Thinking about it, a lot of things had happened five years ago, so she wasn't entirely sure what he was referring to. One thing was for sure, it was certainly not her meeting Kevin Lynch.

"Um… well, I can't remember anything distinctive or any event that would stick out," she explained, sounding slightly apologetic.

"Let me help jog your memory. We were at Murphy's and you were thinking of dumping your boyfriend, Toby, or whatever. I was dumped by my 'girlfriend of the moment' – as you liked to call them - and was rather melodramatic. I was telling you that I wasn't getting any older, and at some point would probably end up all alone. You didn't seem to take all this very seriously, and just kept on laughing," he reminded her. He was waiting for any sign in her expression that she was remembering any of that. Nada, not the slightest change.

"I proposed the plan that if neither of us was attached five years from then, that we would …"

"Get married!" Penelope screamed as she suddenly remembered. "I remember now. And you wrote that down on something, a napkin or such thing, and we both had to sign. Oh my God, yes. I remember," she exclaimed happily.

Morgan opened the box he had brought and pulled out the napkin. Penelope's eyes widened when she saw it.

"You kept it?" she asked, surprised but happy.

"Yes, after all … this would guarantee that I wouldn't be all alone," Morgan laughed.

"So, what does that mean now?" she asked hesitantly.

She watched Morgan, who took something else out of the box and got up slowly. She could see what it was.

"I guess I should do this properly."

"Do what properly?" Penelope asked, slightly more confused now than before.

Instead of answering her, Morgan got down on one knee.

_Oh my __God__,_ she thought to herself, but knew better than to interrupt this time.

She heard Morgan take a deep breath before speaking, and saw him holding a ring out to her.

"It took me eight years to get here, and also one guy nearly taking you away from me to realize what I had all along. Seeing you with Kevin for nearly five years was more than painful. Somehow I always knew, deep down, that he was not able to make you happy, and the only person right for you was me. The same goes for me. No other woman will ever mean as much to me as you do, and no other woman will ever be right for me, except for you. I'm sorry it took me so long to get to this point, and I'm sorry you had to wait so long for me, but I'm glad you never gave up on me.

I know this is rather fresh and new between the two of us, but given that I am so sure about this, have so much faith on both of us and faith in a shared future, I want to ask you here and now. Penelope Garcia, will you marry me?" he asked. Penelope could read the nervousness in his face very clearly.

_So much__ for taking it slow,_ she smiled to herself, before answering.

"Do you seriously expect now any other answer than 'yes'?" she asked with a smile bigger than Morgan had ever seen. He put the ring onto Penelope's finger, kissing her afterwards and matched her smile.

For a second, he really thought she would say no. After all, she had turned down one proposal already tonight. Not that he compared himself to Lynch, especially not after Penelope had confessed that her heart never was with Lynch to begin with, but one could never know.

"Not that I want to spoil the moment or anything, but you didn't just say yes because of our agreement five years ago, did you?" he asked with half a grin displayed on his face.

Penelope looked at him for a moment, wondering if he was serious, then shook her head in disbelief and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Kiss me, you fool, and I will show you that the agreement five years ago wasn't the reason I said yes."

So that's what he did. And kissing Penelope was something he would most likely enjoy doing all day long for a very long time.


	9. We don't understand

_A/N: Apparently everyone seemed to have tought that last night's chapter was teh last chapter. Hm.. it actually wasn't. There is this one as well. Again ... huge Thanks and cookies to all you wonderful people with all your alerts, and reviews and fav'ing. I just love you. You make writting so much fun for me ... Thanks... Also, I will answer all unanswered reviews once I am back in the land of the living and awake people =)  
_

* * *

"What do you mean you are going to get married?" Emily asked first, but looking at the faces of JJ, Hotch, Reid and Rossi, she had beaten them by seconds.

"Well, what you usually mean when getting married. Church, priest, vows, 'I do'… That kind of thing," Penelope explained matter-of-factly.

"But when did you decide that?" JJ asked.

"About five years ago," Morgan smiled.

"You've been dating for five years?" It was now Hotch's turn, and he looked surprised, to say the least.

"Yeah," Garcia started, "just … um …. not each other."

If the team had been confused before, none of them understood anything anymore.

"What??" Emily finally broke the silence.

"You see … we … well… um… five years ago, Morgan and I decided that we would get married if neither of us was attached in five years…"

"Why would you do that?" Spencer asked, not able to understand the thinking that had gotten them to make that decision.

"Friend helping friend?" Penelope offered, which didn't seem to be accepted by any of the rest.

"Why?" Hotch asked.

"Have you actually thought this through?" JJ asked, a bit concerned. Of course, she knew about her friend's crush on their male co-worker, and therefore was not too sure what all of this would do to her.

"Aren't you dating Tamara?" Emily asked, before anyone could get to answer JJ's question.

"We broke up last night…"

"You broke up with one girlfriend and decided to marry another one, who you haven't even been dating?" she asked further, the confusion getting bigger and bigger.

"Yes," Morgan simply answered, expecting now all sort of reactions from Emily. To his and everyone else's surprise, she just shrugged, said 'okay' and left the room, a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Okay, listen," Morgan all of a sudden started, right at the moment Penelope was about to give some explanation. "It doesn't matter, okay? It doesn't matter why, or when, or any of that. What matters is that we're getting married. Period. I'm not saying this because we have this deal or pact, or whatever you want to call it. It's just… I realized one or two things last night. I know it seems crazy and like we are out of our mind and have no clue of what we are getting ourselves into, but the fact is, we do. We are sure about this. We want this. I want her and she wants me. In fact, I love her, and have for a long time without even realizing it. I share much more with Penelope than I ever did with Tamara. I guess it just took me too long already to see that what I wanted was right in front of me all along… " Morgan said, drifting off in a bit of a speech, without even realizing. "Anyway… This doesn't need to make any sense to you at all. The main thing is that it makes sense to us. We just wanted you all to know," he finally ended, before leaving the room as well.

"Finally," was JJ's response, followed by Hotch mumbling something that sounded to Penelope a lot like 'took him long enough' and Rossi just grinned like a Cheshire cat. All three of them followed Morgan out of the room, leaving Penelope alone with Reid.

"Did I miss something?" Penelope finally asked Reid after a while.

"Not much, I guess. They had started making plans on how to get you and Morgan to come to your senses finally. I mean, it took you nearly six years. Six years. That's statistically the average an American marriage lasts nowadays. Let's hope that's a good sign for you two," he grinned and finally left as well, leaving Garcia all on her own.

_That went better than expected_, she thought to herself, before leaving the room as well. After all, she had a wedding to plan.

* * *

_A/N II: To all of you who might now go 'NO' - although I'm not sure if there is anyone actually =) - Fear not, I wrote a sequel. Just needs to be returned from my beta.  
_


End file.
